My wife decided my Remington 742 in 30-06 is too heavy for her to hunt with, and she's wanting something lighter. The recoil doesn't bother her, just the weight of the gun (9 lbs empty). She wants to stay with an auto-loader. The only lighter semi-autos I can think of are the Remington carbines (basically just a 742/750 with an 18.5" barrel vs. the 22" barrel of the regular version) and the BAR ShortTrac (which is kinda pricey). Oh, and she's a lefty.

I'm kinda thinking if we go with a .308, the shorter action will cut some weight also.

The ARs, AKs, and other military-look guns ain't happening, as neither of us feel they are attractive aesthetically, and not anything we want to hunt with.

you kinda painted into corner on this one ...a short action would save some on weight...as a lefty i feel your pain ...although being kinda ''pricey'' the browning short trac left handed version would fit the bill...you are fortunant to have a wife that hunts with you. that in itself is worth the price of admission. as far as calibers my pick .308 ..as your thread said she wasn't recoil sensitive . the ruger mini thirty in 7.62x39 would be another option if your shots were kept under 150-200 yards ...using good quality hunting (sp) ammo

The AR is too pricey, even more than the BAR, and Wife said no, it wasn't a deer rifle. I tend to agree. Also, ARs barely weigh less than the 742 that she's been toting.

I'd go for the .308, but I've always felt that the .243 is marginal as a whitetail round. Shot placement is critical, much more so than with the .308 or 30-06. I used to hunt with a guy who used a .243. He always had to do a lot more tracking than the rest of us with our bigger calibers.